


The Sorting

by newideasintheair



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Gen, Hogwarts AU, Sisters, because sisters are important ok, it's fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-30
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-07-19 07:21:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7351360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/newideasintheair/pseuds/newideasintheair
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Schuyler, Elizabeth!"</p>
<p>A Hogwarts AU. Eliza is sorted.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Sorting

“Schuyler, Elizabeth!”

A wave of whispering accompanied the name and swept across the Great Hall. It was nothing too dramatic, but it was still enough to make Eliza’s cheeks burn as she stepped forward. She was already uncomfortable enough in the spotlight without people drawing attention to her family name or to her appearance, so unlike her sister’s. 

_Her sister._ For what felt like the tenth time that night, Eliza looked uncertainly toward Angelica. They made eye contact easily, and Eliza felt slightly reassured as she clambered onto the stool before Professor McGonagall. Angelica was well aware of her sister’s nerves and had been providing silent support from her spot at the Ravenclaw table all through the ceremony.

Their eye contact was broken abruptly when Professor McGonagall placed the sorting hat on Eliza’s head. It slipped past her ears and fell over her eyes. Staring at the sudden darkness, all thoughts of the crowd watching her subsided and were replaced in earnest by fear of the imminent decision, suddenly all too real.

Eliza took in a shaky breath. _Okay, this is it._ She closed her eyes just like she’d practiced over the last year and tried to school her thoughts to be as intelligent as possible. She thought back to countless family dinners, listening to her father talk with the brightest revolutionary minds. Recalled years of conversations with Angelica. Tried to remember her lessons. Eliza had been homeschooled by her parents and tutors before Hogwarts, history and writing and spelling—but then, she’d always struggled with spelling, hadn’t she, not like her sisters—though Angelica said that didn’t mean she wasn’t smart—but maybe she was just saying that to make her feel better?

“Don’t try and force it,” said an amused little voice in her ear, and Eliza started. Switching tactics, she focused all her energy on thinking, over and over, _Ravenclaw… Ravenclaw… Ravenclaw…_

“Ravenclaw, eh? Because you think it’s the best place for you, or because your sister is there?”

Eliza’s heart sank. _Stupid, of course the hat can see you aren’t smart enough for Ravenclaw —_

“Oh, it’s nothing to do with ‘smart enough,’” said the hat. “But you need a chance to grow on your own. No, for you, I think—HUFFLEPUFF!”

The last word was shouted to the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall lifted the hat from her head, and Eliza blinked in the bright light. After all the waiting, all the buildup, she couldn’t believe that her fate had been sealed so quickly. _No, let me try again, that was wrong…_ But the table on the right was cheering, and Professor McGonagall was calling, “Sloper, Jack!”

Realizing suddenly that she still hadn’t moved, Eliza jumped off the stool and walked quickly to the Hufflepuff table. She kept her head down, avoiding Angelica’s gaze.

Eliza took a seat next to Susan Bones, another first-year she’d met on the boats. Susan and some older Hufflepuffs gave Eliza welcoming smiles. Eliza tried to return them, but when she felt her mouth waver, she clamped her lip between her teeth instead. 

It had been decided now. It was official. She would not be with her sister.

Eliza’s eyes burned, and she shut them quickly. _No,_ she told herself fiercely, _I will not cry. I cannot cry right now._ Not in the Great Hall, not around strangers, not as her first impression. The lump in her throat only grew at the thought. Eliza looked down at her plate fixedly and tried to swallow it down, letting a curtain of hair swing forward to hide her face as she blinked back tears. _Not now, c’mon, just hold out through the end of the Sorting and dinner —_

And then Eliza thought of how she couldn’t run to her sisters for comfort anymore, and then the tears that had been brimming spilled over. She put her head down farther to hide more of her face and pressed her fingers to her eyes, but she couldn’t fully suppress the tiny sniffs that shook her shoulders.

A student was sorted into Gryffindor, but the cheers were punctuated with whispers as the people nearest Eliza started to notice. A student with a prefect badge spoke up hesitantly as the next first-year was called. “Erm—Schuyler, right? Elizabeth Schuyler? Are you all right?” he whispered. Eliza nodded firmly and swallowed back a sob.

A wave of muttering broke out across the Great Hall. Eliza didn’t look up, but her cheeks burned in embarrassment and she bent lower until her forehead rested on the edge of the table. How could she have let herself make such a scene in front of everyone?

_“Where is she going?”_

_“What’s she doing?”_

_“Is she coming over here?”_

Eliza stilled. That didn’t sound like they were talking about her.

The muttering stopped as suddenly as it started, and a second later, Eliza felt a familiar hand on her shoulder.

A thousand reactions raced through her mind at once, from overwhelming relief to shame, and a choked sob escaped. She looked up to see her sister standing there looking the same as ever. Wearing blue and bronze. Eliza bit back another sob and quickly ducked her head again.

Next thing she knew, Angelica was squeezing onto the bench beside her and wrapping her arms around her, and that was all Eliza needed to begin crying in earnest. She buried her face in her sister’s shoulder and allowed herself to forget about the rest of the Great Hall.

Angelica held her tightly and rubbed Eliza’s shoulder with her thumb. When Eliza’s tears had slowed, Angelica whispered in her sister’s ear, “ _This won’t change anything, you know._ ” Eliza let out another choked sob and hugged Angelica tighter in response.

The sisters held each other as the last few students were sorted. Dumbledore gave a funny little speech that had Eliza giving a watery chuckle as she sat back up and mopped at her face with her sleeve. _Thank you,_ she mouthed, and Angelica squeezed her hand.

“ _I’m proud of you._ ”

**Author's Note:**

> Sisters are the greatest thing ever.
> 
> Anyway, hi! Thanks for reading! I've been writing fanfic for a million years but this is the first time I've had the chutzpah to actually post anything. So I would really really love to hear what you think. And how it could be better. Also does anyone want to hear more because I have ideas for this verse and if there's any interest I can post that too.


End file.
